Piano-player and like instrument.



WE GRIMSDALE.

, PIANO PLAYER AND LIKE lNSTRUMENT.

APELIGATION FILED AUG. 26, 1910. 1,036,830. Patented Aug. 2v, 1912.

W. H. GRIM'SDALE.- PIANO PLAYER AND LIKE INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION F-ILED AUG. 26, 1910.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

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it known 'liat l., JVXLMAM auf valves requin l, ing llrelarger aperSirumeut Wim a aiualler lay, lle qui such au in p m the reihe smallestinrust mall aper- 6 O open 011e after the their increase of area. evalve chamber and 1f ue vacuum Chamber? zV creases. llt will be y i vtuwhich the Several lie-ys a l pressure iu the relay 70 firmo or lielilreare struck Correspocs wil langer luervals between the f respectively of*die air pass opening recessive valves than with a i Que music sheetiniothe ir Cirie.: larger pr, :ire ii'- the relay. and that it is ,resthrough which the keys are passible i0 so proportion the area 0f thevalves ilia willi a small preesure in -the re- 75 folowm" desem, )l10nThe word lav enla lie milanesi valve will be 0 )eratel F7 1 1 l 1 j leused to ludleate a nummer or in Ure uue raken fo strike a note and asoit `saire ru eemuuuueatwu with meuiuatica more 'will rf uli` mul milia larwe )res-sure a. l led re' n: crate valves lwiiweeu ille Slrlli'.-u1 the relay ih" the intervals between the lug ,uumaie and tha mamvacuum @baur openings; u1 lle successn'e valve are so 80 v n 7') 'Wardsrelay rumor ur maior small tlia all le valves will be mrierated at clayare used to indicate the pneu sueh Short intervals. and the strikif Aqpneuc5 which :ri-,tuale the calves liet-Ween ille matie emliauaerl Sequiekly'tlla a loud 'rmt-e striking pueuiual-lcs aud the main vacuumwill result;

u, rllie iuveuliiuu Consists in providing two uierflumieal piane playersand like iuug' more wives @oni'rolliug seuaraie passages tried by themiur between the Striking pueuiuaiic 0r pueluuai- .ya ilhrouggliaperlures @lf Naryiug ics correspmuliugg tu each key and the area. im'esssure iu the remi; leervacuum Chamber. and a rela f karine one or lL ei iii mined by he opposing actions ai air being nuwe mutare foroperating Said Valves, the 90 lll :ulmi'ed i' :Hugh the tracker boardand all' 'aires and motors being, so arranged that Tuer@ drawn outrlirouefh ille Small lehaue; ille mier mls bewecu the 0 emrwr or thesuc-- f n h aiurure winch 1s continually open. massive valves is Simmeror longer, causing e9 .llie wreslure 1u the relav aud the 'flumet thesiriliiuw' uueumahc to sirllze a ke with l l t operated by a motor outhe repjrealer or force accrdiug as a larger 95 we varies with the areaai the au.' or smalley arr passage opened through the ,ugh v the musicsheet luto an ruus'u; sheet mtu ilu: corresponding aperture an i'rackerbaard. in the irewlrer bonu nu uw perforation over a` traeker- Theinvention further consists iu provid rlure lae pressure in the correing'for eaeii key a si @king pneumatic con- 100 spending relay will be'smal, and Willi ay llialleflfiy relay m which air admitiel broader prforal'iou the pre;

ne will ne iiueugil ilu; lr board rire relay operatiuulner 0;?1 :experiof'diler oxupeun e eanslriing of a sticker ich are @llireaaied a numberof valves Hiring dilfereut tluuss to of 105 valves having apertures oflie James being operated x .l 'lille ravel of the motor of roeaeao therelay by means of shoulders on the sticker.

The invention also consists in providing in connection with eachstriking pneumatic a relay provided with a number of separate motorsconnected to a single aperture in the tracker board, each motorcontrolling` a valve.

The invention further consist-s in the improved construction ofmechanical piano player hereinafter described.v

Referring to the accompanying' drawings, Figure l is a section showingone torni of the invention, Fie'. l is a section showing;- thearrangement of the tracker 'board and pneumatics. Figs. il and lc aredetail views 'of one of' the valves shown in Fig. l 'Fig'. Q a sectionof a modified form showing` a nethod, ot closingv the communicationbetween the strikingpneumatics and atmosphere which is also applicableto other piano players. Fig. 3 is a section of another' modilication of'the invention. y

ln carrying the invention into effect according,` to the form shown inFig. l the piano player is provided with a striking' pneumatic a, foreach key of the 'piano which incommunication with a valve chamber 25: inwhich there is rsituated a compound valve controlling a passage cleading' to the vacuum chamber d. The compound valve vcomprises a numberof separa te co-aXial circular valves or disks e of different diametersthreaded on a sticker carrying a valve, m, the sticker' being` actuatedby a relay motor g to which air is admitted through the music sheet andtrack r board. The iirst valve m is lined to the sticherf and soarranged that on the irst movement of the sticker' a small aperture isopened between the valve chamber and the vacuum chamber al. rflicsticleris provided with a number of shoulders .72 so arranged that onthe further movement ot the sticker' the second oli the disls'or valvesis lifted away from the third by the first shoulder' on the sticker, andan aperture larger area is thus opened 'from the valve chamber to thevacuum chamber. @n a iu'thcr movement ot the sticker the second shoulderlifts the third 'alve or disk and opens a Jfurther passage by which aircan pass from the valve chamber to the vacuum chamber. lo a similarmanner any desired. number'ot valves or disks may be provided, so thatduring the movement of the sticker, the total area of the passageleading' from the valve chamber to the vacuum chamber is increased insteps.

The valves or disks e in the 'form above described are provided withapertures fllige. "lb and 1c through them leading to circular I*groovesj, the total cross lsection of the apertures increasingfrom the valvefirst opened down to that last opened. on the movement of the relaymotor. By constructing the valves in this manner the area of opening maybe accurately adjusted by regulating the area of the holes through thevalves.

Any suitable torni of valve such as 7c, closing' automatically when thestriking1 pneumatic is in communication with vacuum may be provided7 toshut oft the normal connection 01"' the striking` pneumatic toatmosphere; or, it desired, a separate motor may' be provi-ledtoractuating a valve adapted to open and close the communication ot thef'alve chamber` andy striking pneumatic to atmosphere. This may be doneas shown in Fig'. 3 or it may conveniently be eli'ected as shown in Fig.Q, where the smallest valve Q is operated by a separate relay motor r onthe top of a main relay motor c which operates the larger valves bymeans of the sticker f as above described. l 5nd that by using' in thisway a separate motor and 'valve arranged to close the atmospheriz inletbetere the striking' pneumatic is opened effectively to the vacuumchamber the rapidity of operation is much increased. lt will also beseen that as the connection between the striking pnernnatic andatmosphere closed before the valves between the .nog pneumatic. and thevacuum chamber are operated the only air admitted to the vacuum chamberduring' the operation of the striking' pneumatic is the air in thestriking' lpneumatic and valve chamber and therefore the power requiredto operate the main bellows oi" the piano player is less than in thecase of piano players in which the valves operating' the strikingpneumatic let external air into the piano player in this passage fromone seat to another.

According' to another modilication et the invention shown in Fig. 3, thevalve chamber f in connection with each striking pneumatic a is providedwith two or more passages c leading' to the vacuum chamber, these'passager-1. being' of diierent areas. and

'each being' eontrolled by a valve c actuated by separate .relay motorg' te which air is admitted through a single passage in the trackerhoard. ln this modification also the smallest valve is made lo close thepassage between the striking' lpneu.umtic and atmosphere, the stickermakina' a sliding lit with the partition through which it passes hetweenthe valve chamber and vacuum chamber but an aperture may be formed asshown in the illustration in which ease the valve will be used tocontrol the smallest aperture as well as the passage between striking'pneumatic and atmosphere.

ln piano players ot' the type above described in which the strength etstroke of the 'striking' pneumatic depends Ion the area of the airpassage through the music sheet into the tracker board 7 l find that inorder to enable me to use pei'i'orations in the music `sheet givingauinitorin increase oi A:trom atmospheric pressure',

area for uniform increase of intensity of stroke it is advisable tomodify the apertures in the tracker board, and to form these so thatthere is a sudden increase in the area of the apertures from the mouthof the opening inward, and I find that in this manner I am in which thepressure in the relays is proportional to the area of the air passagesthrough the music sheet into the tracker board.

Having thusv described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a mechanical piano player, means Yforvarying the strength of blow by varying the time at which a plurality ofvalves be-.

tween each striking pneumatic and the,

vacuum or pressure chamber are consecutively operated; said meansincluding, a tracker-board having a single aperture for each key, asingle chamber always maintained during playing at a pressure differenta plurality of striking pneumatics one for each key, a plurality ofpassages directly between each striking pneumatic and said chamber, aplurality of valves one controlling each oi said passages, valveoperating motor means in communication with each of said aperturesadapted to operate said valves consecutively at each actuation ot' thercorresponding key and means Jfor varying the air' admission area` intoeach' of said apertures in said tracker-board.

2. In a mechanical piano player, means vfor varying the strength of blowby varying the time at which aplurality of valves between each strikingpneumatic and the vacuum or pressure chamber are consecutively operated,said means including a tracker-board having a single aperture for eachkey, a single chamber always maintained during playing at a pressuredifferent from atmospheric pressure, a plurality ot striking pneumaticsone for keach key, a plurality or" passages of different cross sectiondirectly between each strikingvpneumatic and said chamber, a pluralityof enabled to obtain an apparatus y valves controlled only by airpressure one controlling each of said passages, valve operating motormeans ot' equal power in communication with each of said aperturesadapted to operate said valves consecutively at -each actua-tion of thecorresponding key 7 and means for varying the air admission,

area into each of said apertures in the tracker-board.

3. In a mechanical piano player striking pneumatic means, an exhaustchamber, a plurality of passages between each of said striking pneumatic4means and said exhaust chamber, a valve controlling each ot' saidpassages, a valve-engaging device having shoulders adapted to engagesaid valves consecutively upon movement of said de vice, a tracker-barand motor relay means in communication lwith said tracker-bar actuatingsaid valve-engaging device to open said valves consecutively at varyingintervals of time according as the air pressure is varied in the saidmotor relay means. 4. In a mechanical piano player, striking pneumaticmeans, a chamber, a plurality of passages between said strikingpneumatic means and said chamber, valves controlling said passages, avalve-engaging device hav ing shoulders adapted to' engage said valvesconsecutively, a tracker-bar and a motor relay in communication withsaid trackerbar actuating said valve-engaging device to open said valvesconsecutively` 5. In a mechanical piano player the combination ofstriking pneumatic means, a, chamber, a compound valve disposed between`said chamber and said striking pneumatic means, said compound valvecompris ing a valve stem passing through a number of valves or dlskshaving apertures of dif ferent area, relay motor means for operatingsaid valve stem said relay motor means acting to operate said valvesconsecutively.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM H. GRIMSDALE Witnesses 'W'. GnYLnR ADAMs, Bnn'rimM H. MATrnnws.

